Nature Blog Network

You could probably make the argument that nearly all of us in the NBN “hike”.  After all, we all publish nature blogs, and much of the time, one must hike to get to where the nature is.  Now we could quibble about the semantics of hiking, whether it requires a single-minded focus of getting from point A to point B (and occasionally backagain to point A), or if it incorporates noticing all the cool little things along the way.  Probably both, depending on the situation.  But here in the NBN, there’s a special segment of the population for whom nature is, above all, something to enjoy walking through.

This a long one, I hope you brought water.  So lace up those boots and let’s get to it.

- A real hiker will go anywhere, down any trail, in any weather, from a national park in the high summer to that kinda weedy looking trail behind the strip mall.  Come see what all that entails at The Everyday Adventurer, from Detroit to the world.

- At An Ultra Runner’s Blog we learn that trail running is hiking, just faster.  And like hiking, you get the opportunity to get out to some really cool places, you just probably hurt a lot when you get there (or so it seems to me).

- My Backpacking Buddies is more than just a blog, it’s a social networking site for backpackers all over the world with forums, photos and a place to trade equipment.  There’s lots of information here in addition to fun stories of backpacking all over the world.

- I talked a couple weeks ago about photo blogs, Burner Photography is one written by a hiker who gets around, and in this economy, does it for cheap.  Not only is that information worth a look, but the photos aren’t bad either.

- California is a state practically made for hikers. We’re lucky we have some bloggers to write about it.  Follow the stunning trails down south with San Diego Backroads.  Any NoCal hikers want to take up the top half?

- By far, the hikiest state, as per the NBN, is Florida.  And probably for pretty good reason.  The weather’s almost always nice and the wildlife is big, flashy, and photogenic.  You can get your fill of hiking from the panhandle down the peninsula with several fine blogs.  The Oceanic Wilderness and A Florida Journal cover South Florida, Joe’s Adventures is a nice photo-based blog of the same region, and Buford at Florida Nature Adventures hits the trails in the piney north.

- One of the best things about hiking is simply taking in the interesting and beautiful things you’re likely to see.  A bug, a leaf, the way water flows over rocks.  All this and more at the Natural Walker, a nice little photo-blog.  I don’t even know where it’s based, but does it matter?

- Environmental issues of northern Ohio are the beat at Eddie’s Neonaturalist.  It just so happens that many local issues are also relevent nationally or internationally.  Reason enough to check it out.

- Readers of the NBNB may be surprised to know that in a former life I was a pretty serious bike racer.  As such I still have a love for the simplicity of the old iron pony, even if my time on two wheels is limited any more.  A bike is a great way to see nature, though, and the folks at Two Knobby Tires provide information for hiking and mountain bike trails, and pictures of what you can find on them, from Colorado, one the friendliest states for biking.

- I don’t know about you, but during this last election cycle, when the media was somewhat obsessed with a certain western governor, every time stock footage of Alaskan mountains was shown I’d think to myself, “man, now that’s a pretty cool state”.  You don’t have to forget about those stunning landscapes now that the election is over, Around Anchorage will remind you why the Last Frontier is pretty great.

- I love nature centers.  I love the trails and the interpretive centers and the school kids on field trips.  They’re often great places to act as that stepping stone towards hiking and nature study.  So when I see an nature center using the internet and blogging as a way to increase outreach, it makes me happy.  Go give the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness, New Hampshire, some love.

- Mungo Says Bah! I have no idea what that means, but if that doesn’t intrigue you enough to check this blog out, then perhaps the fine photos will help, or the bushcraft tutorials, or the fact that, often, its rather funny.  Interest piqued yet?

- Oregon is a photographer’s paradise, with mountains, dense forests, and wide open skies.  The Oregon photo blog has all that on display plus information for hikers wishing to take shots of their own.  I can’t get enough of nice photography, this blog has it in spades

If reading these blogs doesn’t encourage you to strap on the backpack and head out, then I don’t know what to tell you.  The trailhead calls.

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On a more meta note, I’m looking for suggestions for the title of this very weekly feature.  I chose “Nature Blog Networking” on a lark, never really intending for it to carry on this long.  Any ideas from the network are appreciated, the punnier the better as far as I’m concerned.

Anyone want to make their mark on this here blog?